Igor Rodionov

Igor Rodionov (born 1 December 1936) was Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation from 1996 to 1997 and the former leader of the Soviet 40th Army in Afghanistan from 1985 to 1986.

Biography
Rodionov was born in Kurakino in the Penza Oblast of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic in the Soviet Union, and joined the Soviet Army in 1954. Rodionov served in Germany, Czechoslovakia, and the Russian Far East before becoming the commander of the Soviet 40th Army in the Soviet-Afghan War. He led the army from 1985 to 1986, when he was made commander of the Moscow Military District.

He gained infamy for the brutal suppression of the Georgian rioters in the city of Tbilisi in 1989, but some believe that he is only a scapegoat due to his military record. Nevertheless, he became Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation from 1996 to 1997.